COVID-19 Awareness among Undergraduate Medical Students in Trinidad: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: The urgency for heightened levels of the Coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) awareness is due to their estimated face-to-face participation in the COVID-19 pandemic and similar pandemics. The unavailability of updated pandemic information is a significant challenge. There is no available data or previous studies undertaken to investigate the level of pandemic awareness of medical students in Trinidad, Tobago, or the wider Caribbean. Methods: A cross-sectional study of medical students, years one to five, at the University of the West Indies (UWI) St. Augustine campus, Faculty of Medical Sciences, was conducted using random sampling. Data was collected using a 20-item questionnaire structured to test awareness. Chi-square analysis was done using SPSS version 28.0.1.0 (142). Results: Of the 137 participants, 100% claimed to be aware of the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly via social media and the Ministry of Health press conferences. Though all claimed to be aware, 98.5% were aware of COVID-19 being a viral infection, whilst 87.6% were aware of the modes of transmission. Less than half of the population (45.3%) stated they were prepared to be a frontline worker exposed to and treating COVID-19 patients, while the majority (76.6%) were worried about exposure to the virus. Conclusions: The data collected in this research indicated that the level of awareness increases with higher levels of education, whereas age has no effect. Additionally, it was determined that undergraduate medical students had an average knowledge base of COVID-19 but would need training programs to increase their preparedness as future healthcare professionals. Lastly, it was discovered that the two top sources of information were social media and press conferences held by the government.

Analysis on the factors associated with COVID-19 infection among Chinese residents after the implementation of the 10 new rules to optimize COVID-19 response: a cross-sectional study

“…Therefore, every resident needs to take quarantine measures to reduce the risk of infection. Also, learning relevant scientific knowledge in advance can help to protect ourselves and our families ( 25 ). At the social level, it is necessary to understand the difficulties and needs of residents during the COVID-19 pandemic, to provide timely support and assistance for such problems as “Difficulty in obtaining medications and medical equipment,” “High burden of caring for family members,” “difficulty in setting up an isolation environment” and “Lack of reliable source of information on COVID-19 infections,” and to alleviate temporary difficulties and inconveniences through materials allocation and personnel transportation.…”

Social Environmental Predictors of COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in India: A Population-Based Survey

“…Specific political principles used by individual political parties have shown to cause more rifts in vaccine hesitancy rates mainly due to the projection of false information by the conservative media [ 22 ]. Numerous studies and assumptions have frequently documented extensive anti-vaccine schemes and reports in the social media [ 20 , 21 ]. The defiance for public health messaging in such an environment is not simple given the “wild west” nature of social media despite recent attempts by social media platforms to flag anti-vaccine content [ 13 , 24 ].…”

“…The public is more impressed with information from media sources, such as television and the Internet, and trusts information from “friends and family” sources [ 20 ] more. The largest source of information about breaking news is news websites, and trust in this source is generally higher [ 21 ]. People’s degree of trust in different sources varies.…”